Selkʼnam people in the context of Yahgan people

⭐ Core Definition: Selkʼnam people

The Selkʼnam, also known as the Onawo or Ona people, are an Indigenous people in the Patagonian region of southern Argentina and Chile, including the Tierra del Fuego islands. They were one of the last native groups in South America to be encountered by migrant Europeans in the late 19th century.

Settlement, gold mining and farming in the region of Tierra del Fuego were followed by the Selknam genocide. In the mid-19th century, there were about 4,000 Selkʼnam; in 1916 Charles W. Furlong estimated there were about 800 Selkʼnam living in Tierra del Fuego; with Walter Gardini stating that by 1919 there were 279, and by 1930 just over 100.

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👉 Selkʼnam people in the context of Yahgan people

The Yahgan (also called Yagán, Yaghan, Yámana, Yamana, or Tequenica) are a group of Indigenous peoples in the Southern Cone of South America. Their traditional territory includes the islands south of Isla Grande de Tierra del Fuego, extending their presence into Cape Horn, making them the world's southernmost Indigenous human population.

In the 19th century, the Yahgan were known in English as "Fuegians." The name is credited to Captain James Weddell, who supposedly created the term in 1822.The term is now avoided as it can also refer to several other Indigenous peoples of Tierra del Fuego, for example the Selkʼnam.

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⭐ Core Definition: Selkʼnam people
👉 Selkʼnam people in the context of Yahgan people
Selkʼnam people in the context of Indigenous peoples in Chile

Selkʼnam people in the context of Indigenous peoples in Chile

Indigenous peoples in Chile or Native Chileans (Spanish: Chilenos nativos), are Chileans who have predominant or total Amerindian or Rapa Nui ancestry. According to the 2017 census, almost 2,185,792 people declare having Indigenous origins. Most Chileans are of partially Indigenous descent; however, Indigenous identification and its legal ramifications are typically reserved to those who self-identify with and are accepted within one or more Indigenous groups.

The Mapuche, with their traditional lands in south-central Chile, account for approximately 80% of the total Indigenous population. There are also small populations of Aymara, Quechua, Atacameño, Qulla (Kolla), Diaguita, Yahgan (Yámana), Rapa Nui and Kawésqar (Alacalufe) people in other parts of the country, as well as many other groups such as Caucahue, Chango, Picunche, Chono, Tehuelche, Cunco and Selkʼnam.

View the full Wikipedia page for Indigenous peoples in Chile

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